Aquafaba meringues

You know that liquid that comes with canned chickpeas? It turns into an emulsifier and foaming agent when whipped for long enough, making it an excellent egg white substitute in vegan baking. Known as “aquafaba” (Latin for “bean water”), the liquid can be used in nougat, macarons and these deliciously easy meringues.

Meringues can be considered to have an ethereal quality. Credit: China Squirrel

• makes

  14

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  1:45 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 160 ml canned chickpea liquid
• 1 cup caster or brown sugar 

Instructions

Using an electric mixer, whisk the canned chickpea liquid for 15 minutes or until soft peaks form. Whisking constantly, gradually add sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and firm.

Drop large spoonfuls (about two tablespoons of mixture) onto 2 baking-paper lined trays and bake in a 120ºC oven for 1½-1¾ hours, until firm to touch. Cool meringues in the oven, then serve. 

Photography, styling and food preparation  by China Squirrel.

When she doesn’t have her head in the pantry cupboard, Leanne Kitchen finds time to photograph food and write cookbooks. You can view her work on her website.

This recipe is part of our 10 ways with canned chickpeascolumn.

View previous 10 ways with… columns and recipes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.